American non-profit OpenBiome is paying people cold, hard cash for their crap as part of the spectacularly well-named "Give a S**t" Campaign. The group is looking to gather materials for fecal microbiota transplants, a new treatment for the Clostridium difficile infection or CDI.
Clostridium difficile bacteria can cause people to suffer severe diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever and can even cause death. CDI is estimated to be responsible for between 14,000 and 30,000 deaths every year in the US alone.
The key to treating this disease could lie in fecal transplants, which are supposedly 90% effective.
If you're willing to part with your poo for some dollar bills, you have to be willing to put yourself through a lengthy screening process. Each poo sample will fetch you $40; if you donate five times in a week, you'll pocket an extra $50. However all donations must be done on-site at OpenBiome's Massachusetts facility.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Fecal Microbiota Transplants
- Opportunity for developing innovative procedures and technology for fecal microbiota transplants.
- Biomedical Waste Management
- Potential for disruptive innovations in the management and processing of biomedical waste, specifically fecal matter.
- Healthcare Crowdsourcing
- Emerging trend of crowdsourcing biological materials for medical research and treatments like fecal donation campaigns.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Biotechnology
- Opportunity for biotech companies to develop advanced treatments and therapies utilizing fecal microbiota transplants.
- Waste Management
- Innovative waste management solutions are needed to handle the increasing demand for fecal donation campaigns and fecal transplants.
- Medical Research
- Fecal donation campaigns open up new avenues for medical research and treatment options for diseases like Clostridium difficile infection.
